Be Yourself
by purplefeather21
Summary: High School.Where life is all about drama, and cliques. This is certainly no exception for 16 year-old Ashley Massaro, who just wants to be happy, and for the teasing of the jocks to stop. In order for that to happen, she must be herself.Jashley oneshot.


**A/N: Requested by 3DDLOVER4LIFE. I decided to try something different, so here it is :D Please read and review. Enjoy!**

**Special thanks to Super T. Thank you for all your help!!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Audioslave's song "Be Yourself" , or any WWE Superstars used in this.**

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**Someone falls to pieces**

**Sleeping all alone**

**Someone kills the pain**

She hated it. She hated how it made her feel about herself? Who was she? Easy. She was 16 year-old Ashley Marie Massaro, a current high school student. Unlike many of the people she knew, she disliked high school. Why? Because of how the fact who was in what clique and who wasn't, was high school is all about.

If you were pretty enough to be a cheerleader, you were a jock. If you were on some sort of team, you would also be considered a jock. If you were smart and got good grades, people referred to you as a nerd. Meaning you'd get teased endlessly by the jocks. If you were into black clothing and the color itself you were called emo, punk, or goth . If you did drugs, or got pregnant, you were thought of as a burnout, which in Ashley's opinion, wasn't fair.

In her school, she was considered a punk for liking loud rock music, and wearing black clothing. Sure, she was a girl, and had feelings, but not to her classmates. No, she was called things like "Trashley" because people though her clothes were "trashy. Wait, what was she talking about? It was only one group of people who made fun of her. The jocks. Why? Because head cheerleader Michelle McCool said so, and what she said was law with everyone because she was considered the queen bee of Adams West high school.

**Spinning in the silence**

**She finally drifts away**

**Someone gets excited**

**In a chapel yardAnd catches a bouquet**

**Another lays a dozen**

**White roses on a grave**

**Yeah... **

Take last Tuesday for example….

_(__Flashback)_

_She had been sitting with her group of friends, not even thinking about Michelle. In fact, Michelle was the __**last thing **__on her mind. But, because Michelle loved hurting Ashley, she was the last thing on the cheerleader's mind. So, while Ashley was having fun, disusing her plans for the weekend with her friends, Michelle was thinking of a way to embarrass Ashley in front of the whole school, since it was lunch time. Therefore. the "All American Girl" decided it'd be fun to tease the punky girl._

"_Hey Ashley?" Michelle walked over to the table where she was sitting._

_Expecting it to be one of her friends, Ashley turned around with a smile on her face, which quickly faded once she saw who the voice belonged to. It was no secret that she and Michelle didn't really get along, but Michelle wasn't being mean at the moment, so Ashley decided to do the same._

_"Yes, Michelle?" she asked, a bit warily._

_"I wanted to talk to you. See, I'm having a party over at my house. And, I wanted to personally invite you to it. Which, you know isn't something everyone gets to experience. Only certain special people are good enough to be allowed in my house. So, do you want to go?"_

_Ashley thought about it for a moment. She wasn't really a party person, and she didn't like Michelle, but the other girl seemed to be genuine and kind enough to ask her. Maybe she's changed, Ashley thought. She decided that she would go, and if she felt _

_uncomfortable there, she'd leave right away. Ashley turned to Michelle and nodded._

_"Okay, Michelle, why not?" she said. "So, do you want to give me your phone number? I don't know exactly where you live and I might need directions." Ashley smiled back at the blonde girl. _

_Her response made the blonde girl cackle with laughter. She hadn't expected it to be this easy. Oh, how truly naive was Ashley, if she thought she'd actually get invited to one of her beautiful parties, Oh, she could imagine the sheer horror of it. On second thought, she rather not._

_"Please, you really think I would let a dirty, nasty, trashy freak like you come to my party? I'm classy, beautiful, and people love me. You are trashy, filthy, and dress like you get your clothes from a dumpster. You're a freak and you'll never ever be popular. You aren't good enough to be friends with me. So why don't you just take yourself back over there to the losers table? They seem to be the only ones that want to hang out with you."_

_Ashley was confused when she heard Michelle laugh, and then the reality of what was going on set in--Michelle hadn't been serious about inviting her to her party. The whole thing was some sort of mean, cruel, sick joke that was apparently very funny to Michelle. She felt her blood boil and her face grow red, from both anger and embarrassment. How could she have been so stupid?_

**And to be yourself is all that you can do**

**Hey...To be yourself is all that you can do**

_She'd been dumb enough, and trusting enough, to believe that Michelle was genuinely being nice to her. She bit her lip and shook her head--how stupid she'd been._

_Ashley stood up from the table where she was sitting and looked at Michelle, who was still laughing. She spoke calmly and quietly, trying to hold her anger back. "What's so funny, Michelle?" she asked. "Did I say something that struck you as funny?"_

_Michelle snorted. "Funny? Of course you did. Oh, come on Ashley. Did you really think I would ever want to be friends with you? Of course not. You're not up to my level or standards. In fact, you aren't anywhere near any status at all. You, my dear, have no class, and therefore, don't deserve any names but the one I made for you, Trashley."_

**Someone finds salvation in everyone**

**Another only pain**

_Ashley was left speechless by Michelle's remarks, but she wasn't really surprised. Michelle had always been stuck up, and took great pleasure in making fun of people that were less fortunate than herself. But Ashley had to admit that Michelle was right about one thing: she'd completely fooled her. But Ashley being the nice person that she was, thought that everyone deserved a second chance. It was__wasn't a mistake she would make again. And her words did hurt Ashley, but she was more angry than anything. _

_"What is your problem with me, Michelle?" Ashley asked, her voice low. "If you have a problem with me, I'm sorry. But I've done nothing but be nice to you, and you've always been rude to me. Do you think it's funny to bully people? You seem to enjoy picking on people who won't stick up for themselves, but I'm not like that. In my opinion, you have a lot of growing up to do." Ashley stared Michelle down._

_"Honey, there's nothing you can say to offend me. I am simply perfect. Whereas, you can only hope to be, even though you never will be. You need to grow up, and learn your place in this world, is only with your kind. Losers." The taller blonde drawled._

_Ashley didn't say a word, she simply reached out, and slapped Michelle as hard as she could, taking the other girl by surprise._

_She knew it was wrong to use violence as a solution, but after everything Michelle had done to her ever since the 8th grade, she reached her limit. She wouldn't just take it. No, she'd done that enough already. Instead, she'd stand up for herself. Showing the cheerleader she was proud of who she was._

**Someone tries to hide himself**

**Down inside himself he prays**

_And unbeknownst to her, her good friend Randy Orton had been watching. His blood boiling from what the horrible witch his friends called beautiful had called poor Ashley. Oh, how he wanted to go and stick up for her. But, he knew he couldn't. Why? Because he was a jock, and captain of the football team. Someone who wasn't expected to socialize with the people below their level. Or that's what his so-called friends said. And he followed that, At least at school, he did. Why? Because it was what expected of him in high school from people he couldn't stand. _

_(End of flashback)_

**Someone swears his true love**

**Until the end of time**

**Another runs away**

**Separate or unitedHealthy or insane**

John Cena was mad. No, he was seething. Tonight would mark the second year anniversary of his relationship with Ashley. And, he wanted to look his best. But, no, something had to happen. Tonight of all nights. This was supposed to be a perfect evening for both of them. Instead, his four brothers had decided to slow him down. They'd been teasing him all afternoon, and hogging the bathroom, until his parents had told them to stop. So, now, he was late. And, not one bit happy about it.

**And to be yourself is all that you can do(all that you can do)**

**Yeah..To be yourself is all that you can do(all that you can do)**

Ugh. How she hated going out on dates with John. Who was she kidding? She didn't hate it. Not at all. But, she was nervous about what to wear. Ever since last Tuesday, her confidence level wasn't very high. To add more stress to the fact, today marked their seconds year together. And, she couldn't afford to look bad. No, she needed to look nice. So, she began to search through the pile of clothes neatly stacked on her bed. She was so focused on finding the right outfit, that she hadn't even heard the phone ring until her mother told her she had a call. She thanked her mom for telling her, and picked up her cordless phone by her desk. It was Friday afternoon. Who could possibly be calling her now?

"Hello?" she answered.

"Ash, hey. Listen, John called me, and asked me to tell you he's running a little late, and if you would mind waiting just a little bit longer." Randy Orton informed the petite blonde.

"Great!" she said quickly.

"Tired of him already?" he teased.

"Of course not, but because today is a special day, I can't just wear some ugly clothes." she explained.

"Listen, I can't help with choosing what to wear, but I do know that John isn't focused on things like that. He cares about you for who you are, not what you wear. So, just wear something that describes you and your style." the teenaged boy suggested.

"Thanks, Oprah." Ashley teased.

"Uh, huh. Look, I gotta go. See you on Monday at school." the young boy hung up.

**To be yourself is all that you can do(all that you can do)**

**Hey...Be yourself is all that you can do**

Ashley laughed. Randy never did take compliments too well.

Speaking of compliments, she could clearly remember the day she'd met John Cena.

Three years, to be exact.

_(Flashback)_

_Ashley hated summer. It was a well-known fact among her friends. Unlike them, she loved the cold winters New York had. Thinking there was only one way to refresh herself. By going to the ice cream parlor, down the block from her house._

_Within a few minutes, she was there, thinking about what ice cream she should get. She__ walked past each choice, when she bumped into someone. Ashley__ looked up and saw that the person that she had bumped into was a boy about her age, and he was smiling. He had blue eyes and brown hair._

_"Oh, I'm sorry," the boy apologized, as he extended his hand to Ashley. He helped her up and dusted off her shoulder. "Guess I need to pay more attention to where I'm going, huh?" He smiled. "My name's John._

_"Nice to meet you, John. I'm Ashley. Ashley Massaro. I've never seen you before. Are you new?" she asked._

**Even when you've paid enough**

**Been put upon or been held up**

**With every single memory of**

**The good or bad, faces of luck**

_"Yeah, my family just moved here from Massachusetts," John answered. "My brothers and my dad were unpacking all our stuff, so I thought I'd sneak away before they asked me to help." He laughed. _

_"Which sounds like lots of fun." Ashley teased._

_"Oh yeah, tons," John answered. "I can't think of a better way to spend my first weekend in New York." He smiled. Ashley seemed to be really nice, which he was grateful for. He'd heard from a lot of people that New York didn't have many nice people at all. But after talking to Ashley, he couldn't believe that. _

_"So, you getting some ice cream?" he asked. _

_"Yup. I'm getting Chocolate Chip. It's my favorite. What about you?" she asked._

_"Hey, you got great taste," John answered. "Chocolate chip's my favorite too. But, I think I might get mint chocolate chip today."_

**Don't lose any sleep tonight**

**I'm sure everything will end up alrightYou may win or lose**

"_Cool." Ashley responded, as John then began to ask her a few questions about what New York was like._

_Meanwhile, Ashley beamed. John seemed like a really nice person, and she loved making friends. She was really happy. She had come to buy ice cream, and had gotten that, and a new friend. One she hoped would one day become a great friend._

_(End of flashback)_

**But to be yourself is all that you can do**

**Yeah...To be yourself is all that you can do**

After talking to Randy, Ashley wasn't as stressed as before. She had chosen a black skirt, and a purple long sleeved shirt with rhinestones on it. She had gone with what she thought suited her perfectly for tonight. She wasn't wearing a dress, like most girls would have, but she wasn't wearing dirty, laundry-late, smelly clothes either. She was wearing what made her, herself.

**Ohhh...To be yourself is all that you can do(all that you can do)**

**Ohhh...To be yourself is all that you can do(all that you can do)**

And as she took a look in the mirror to apply some lip gloss, her mom came into view.

"Hey, honey. You look very nice. I just came to tell you that John's here." her mother, Melissa Massaro told her.

"Thanks, mom. I'll be right down." the teenager replied.

And with that, her mother closed the door.

Finally done with her appearance, Ashley got up, and began walking down the stairs, to what could only be a wonderful evening with her boyfriend in their 2nd year anniversary of being together.

It was funny, before Randy's call, Ashley was a wreck off nerves. But, not anymore. No, she was pretty excited and happy, but not nervous. Not at all. She would be taking Randy's advice tonight, and do what she did best. Ashley Massaro would ignore what others who didn't like her said about her, and she would be herself.

**To be yourself is all that you can--**

**Be yourself is all that you can--**

**Be yourself is all that you can dooooooohoooo**


End file.
